Cloud migration is a top priority for many Canadian businesses right now, for a number of reasons. Some are moving away from on-premise solutions for the first time, while others are switching to a service that better suits their needs. Either way, the right strategy is crucial. Without a clear plan in place, there’s a high risk of downtime and other issues.
This guide will walk you through the process from start to finish, explaining what you need to consider and why. By the end, you’ll be fully equipped to migrate smoothly.
The Consequences of Going in Blind
First, it’s crucial to understand why a solid cloud migration strategy is necessary. Beginning the process without a plan puts your business at risk of:
- Downtime: One error could halt operations for hours or even days, interrupting work and causing financial losses.
- Cyber-Attacks: Threat actors know that transitional periods provide them with an opportunity. If your security slips during this time, you could be left vulnerable to data breaches.
- Reputational Damage: If you experience unnecessary disruptions, clients and partners might end up with the impression that your business is unreliable or untrustworthy. This can have an enormous impact on your long-term profitability.
- Compliance Issues: Failure to plan properly may leave you non-compliant with data protection regulations, potentially leading to audits or fines.
A clear strategy helps you avoid these pitfalls, ensuring a successful cloud migration.
Security and Compliance Concerns During Migration
Before anything else happens, you must stop to consider how sensitive data will be protected during the migration process. Here are some factors you should think about:
PIPEDA Compliance
The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is Canada’s most important data security law. Among other things, it requires that you take reasonable steps to protect sensitive information at all times. Failing to adhere to PIPEDA puts you at risk of heavy fines.
Crucial Security Controls
At bare minimum, you should implement:
- Encryption (while data is in transit and at rest)
- A tested backup and recovery plan
- A threat scan before and after the migration process
- Continuous oversight from a security expert (either internal or external)
Data Sovereignty
Data sovereignty (the idea that information should remain under Canadian jurisdiction whenever possible) is increasingly important, especially in light of US laws (such as the CLOUD Act) that could potentially force the release of Canadian data under certain circumstances. While the Canadian government does consider commercial cloud storage to be fairly safe, they advocate for:
- Only storing certain types of data within cloud environments
- Encrypting data at all times
- Vetting out cloud service providers (CSPs) carefully
Cloud Migration Services in Canada: To Outsource, or Not to Outsource?
Now that the basics are in place, you will need to make a big decision: will you handle the migration internally, or outsource it to a third party? There are benefits and disadvantages to both:
Migrating In-House
Pros:
- More direct control
- No need to wait on a third party
- Deep immersion in your business environment
Cons:
- Potentially more expensive (if you need to hire additional employees)
- In-house staff are distracted from regular tasks
- Access to only the knowledge you already have on-hand
Partnering with a Cloud Migration Service
Pros:
- Access to near limitless expertise
- No need to pull employees away from their normal tasks
- Continuous monitoring carried out by cybersecurity experts
Cons:
- Onboarding process may require time
- Communicating with a third party, rather than carrying out work directly
- New security risks potentially introduced if partner is not properly vetted
Step-by-Step Guide for Cloud Migration in Vancouver
Step 1: Conduct Assessment
Every successful cloud adoption begins with a thorough inventory and assessment of the IT environment. This includes:
- Cataloguing all applications, workloads, and data sets currently running on-premise
- Assessing each part of your IT environment for cloud suitability
- Mapping out dependencies between applications and infrastructure components
- Documenting performance baselines for later
- Identifying compliance and data security requirements
Step 2: Develop Strategy
Next, you need to decide how the migration will be handled. There are many options, including:
- Rehosting (also known as “Lift and Shift”): Workloads are moved to cloud infrastructure with minimal modification. Fast and low-risk.
- Replatforming: Targeted optimizations are carried out, but applications are largely left untouched.
- Refactoring: Applications and workloads are re-designed from scratch to take advantage of cloud-native capabilities. Higher effort, higher long-term benefit.
During this step, you will also develop a data protection plan, create and test backups, and set your success metrics.
Step 3: Identify Costs
Cost management will be a crucial skill while using the cloud, and it begins now. Take note of all expected expenses both during and after the migration, as well as financial gains. Remember to factor in:
- Storage (which is sometimes separate from your license)
- Licensing
- Data transfer costs
- Managed service costs or internal staffing salaries- whichever is more applicable
- On-premise solutions you will no longer be paying for
- On-premise solutions you will need to keep
- The cost of any tools required during the migration process
This will help you budget effectively and prevent cloud costs from spiralling out of control.
Step 4: Carry Out Migration
When you begin the migration, work slowly and in clear phases. This allows you to adjust course quickly if anything goes wrong. Plan larger changes for off-peak hours, when they will cause the smallest disruption possible.
If you notice any concerning signs that something may be wrong, stop and address them before continuing the migration. It’s far easier to fix the problem now than it will be later.
Step 5: Test, Monitor, and Optimize
The migration might be complete, but your job has only just begun. Watch carefully over the next few weeks. Take note of inefficiencies, potential security vulnerabilities, incompatibilities, unusual costs, and staff difficulties. After some time has passed (2-4 weeks is usually a good monitoring period), check your metrics against the baselines you originally recorded. Then, adjust as necessary to solve any issues you may have noticed.
Migration Doesn’t Have to Slow You Down
Cloud migration in Vancouver comes with unique challenges, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doomed to experience downtime and security risks. Some careful planning will help you avoid issues and ensure success. Work slowly, keep your goal in mind, and always understand what you’re working with. The migration might go better than you planned.
Disruptions are often treated as an inevitability during Vancouver cloud migrations, but they don’t have to be. Learn how you can achieve a zero-downtime migration.